Refrigerator cabinet



Aug. 22', 1935 M. R. HULL REFRIGERATOR CABINET Filed Nov. 21, 19:55

Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATE 2.110.117 aarmoeaa'roa canmsrApplication November 21, 1935, Serial No. 50,952 Claims. (Cl. 62-89) SPATENT OFFICE This invention relates to a refrigerator cabinetconstruction and more particularly to a utility shelf combined with adoor of the refrigerator cabinet.

It is sometimes desirable to rearrange the position of dishes and thelike on the shelves in the cooling compartment of a refrigerator. Whenthe shelves are crowded with dishes, difficulty is often experienced inholding one'or more of the dishes while arranging others.

In accordance with this invention a utility shelf is provided which isattached to a door of a compartment disposed below the coolingcompartment of a refrigerator. This compartment may be the one used tohouse refrigerating apparatus.

When the door is opened this shelf slides out and provides a convenientplace for resting certain dishes while rearranging or removing othersfrom the cooling compartment.

Objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in thisparticular art from the claims and the description in the specificationtaken in connection with the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator anddoor illustrative ofthis invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional plan view of an illustrativeembodiment of this invention.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional front elevation ofa structural detailof this invention.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the apparatus compartmentof the refrigerator of Fig. 1, the refrigerating equipment being omittedfor the purpose of clarity.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation partly in section of the structure shown inFig. 4.

In the embodiment of the invention which has been chosen for thepurposes of illustration in Fig. 1 is shown a refrigerator Ill having anupper or cooling compartment with the evaporator or analogous coolingunit Ila therein and a lower or apparatus compartment l2 mounted on abase |3.- The apparatus compartment l2 houses conventional refrigeratingequipment generally indicated at Ho and has a door It pivotally securedproximate the lowermost portion of the base I3. A shelf I5 is plvotallysecured to the door It by means of links or brackets l6.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2 to 5, the shelf I5 is made up ofside members II, a front frame member It, a rear frame member I! and asuitable base portion 20 connecting the rear and front frame members andwhich may be in the form of a wire screen. Secured to the side of theapparatus compartment proximate its uppermost portion are a pair ofsupports 22.

These supports are provided with grooves 23 facing the interior of theapparatus compartment and in which are slidably mounted the side framemembers I! of the shelf l5.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 2 it is seen that the side member l1extends beyond the grooved support and the rear frame member I9 issecured at a point intermediate of the ends of the side members,whereby, when the shelf is in open position, as shown in Fig. 1, goodlyportions of the side members ll remain within the grooved supports andfurnish a firm support f r the shelf. This feature is clearlyillustrated in F g. 2.

Referring now to Figs. 1,2, 4 and 5, a bracket 25 is secured to the doorIt and pivotally holds one end of a link IS. The other end of each linkis looped around or otherwise pivotally secured to each of the framemembers l9 at 21. Secured to the ceiling of the compartment i2 is alimiting member 29 which may be in the form of a bar having twodownwardly projecting loops 30 disposed proximate but interiorly of theside frames ll. These loops are adapted to engage the rear shelf framemember I! when the shelf is in exteriorly extended position and due totheir inherent resilience have a cushioning efiect should thedoor beswung open violently.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4 a bracket 32 is shown secured tothe front of the base portion l3 and consists'of a main and downwardlyextending portion 33 bolted or otherwise secured to the inner face ofthe front of the base. a horizontal portion 34 bent forwardly of thebase and a short upwardly extending portion 35. The upwardly extendingportion 35 engages a grooved portion 36 of the door ll making a simplebut effective pivotal juncture of the door with the base l3.Conventional resilient gaskets 31 are provided for the pivoted door anda conventional resilient catch 38 will hold the door snugly and firmlyin closed position against these gaskets.

A door opening member is provided that consists of a cam 40 pivotallysecured to a side wall of the compartment 12 by means of 9. lug ll. Alink 12 is pivoted to the cam 40 by a bent over portion 43. At itslowermost portion it is bent and projects through the walls of thecompartment to form a treadle 44.

In the operation of this device when it is desired to use the shelf onehas merely to step on the treadle member link 42 forces the elongatededge of the cam 40 against the inner face of the door and forces thedoor open against the action of the spring catch 38. By virtue of thegrooved supports 22 H which through the the food storage compartment,and a connection will be in fully extended position.

and pivotal link connections l6 this movement of the door causes theshelf to slide outward in its grooved support until it is engaged by thelimiting members 30. At this point the shelf By pivoting the door l4proximate the lowermost portion of the base l3 a longer radius isprovided for the doorfrom its pivotal point to the point where the links[6 are pivotally secured. This securing arrangement makes it possible tofully extend the shelf without undue swinging of the door.

A specific refrigerator and door structure has been described in somedetail but it is to be understood that changes, additions, substitutionsand omissions may be made in the structure herein shown within thespirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A refrigerator cabinet having a food storage compartment and anapparatus compartment beneath the food storage compartment with doorsaffording access to said compartments, a combined support and transfershelf in the apparatus compartment movable out of the compartment to aposition to support articles to be inserted into and articles to beremoved from between the door of the apparatus compartment and saidtransfer shelf so that the shelf is brought into and out of operativeposition by the opening and closing of the door of the apparatuscompartment.

2. Refrigeration apparatus comprising a food storage compartmentand anapparatus compartment beneath the food storage compartment with doorsafiording access to said compartments, the door for the apparatuscompartment being hinged along its lower portion so that when both doorsare opened cold air settling from the food storage compartment will bedeflected into the apparatus compartment, a combined support andtransfer shelf in the apparatus compartment movable out of thecompartment to a position to support articles to be inserted into andarticles removed from the storage compartment, and

a connection between the door of the apparatus compartment and thetransfer shelf so that the shelf is moved into and out ofoperativeposition upon the opening and closing of the door of theapparatus compartment.

3. A refrigerator cabinet having a. food storstorage compartment, guidesin said apparatus compartment for supporting said transfer shelf,

and means connecting the shelf and the door of the apparatus compartmentwhereby when the door of the apparatus compartment is opened thetransfer shelf will be slid in a substantially horizontal plane outwardto a position of use.

4. A refrigerator cabinet having a food storage compartment and anapparatus compartment beneath the food storage compartment with doorsaffording access to said compartments, a. combined support and transfershelf in the apparatus compartment movable out of the compartment to aposition to support articles to be inserted into and articles to beremoved from the food storage compartment, a connection between the doorof the apparatus compartment and said transfer shelf so that the shelfis brought into and out of operative position by the opening and closingof the door of the apparatus compartment, and treadle means for openingthe door of the apparatus compartment.

5. Refrigeration apparatus including a refrigerator cabinet having afood storage compartment and an apparatus compartment beneath the foodstorage compartment, doorsaffording access to said compartments, meansfor refrigerating-the food storage compartment and thereby causing aircirculation within said compartment, a combined support and transfershelf in the apparatus compartment movable out of the apparatuscompartment into article supporting position within cooling adjacency tosaid food storage compartment whereby articles on the transfer shelfwill be cooled by flow of air from the food storage compartment when thedoor of the food storage compartment is opened, a connection between thedoor of the apparatus compartment and said transfer shelf so that theshelf is moved into and out of operative position -upon the opening andclosing of the door in the apparatus compartment, and means forcushioning movement of the shelf in one direction.

' MA'I'I'HEW R. HULL.

